My Friend Jane / Our Travels Through Jane Austen’s England

Last week I landed back on U.S. soil, thus completing my travels through Jane Austen’s England. What began as a long-desired wish to visit Austen’s home and burial place during the year of the 200th anniversary of her death, became a reality when I was invited to join the BBC as part of their upcoming documentary, My Friend Jane. I can’t thank my friend, Dung Vu, who I connected with several years ago through our mutual love of JAFF, for not only taking this journey with me, but for being the most supportive, helpful, and thoughtful companion I could have ever imagined sharing this journey with. I also must thank Richard George from the BBC, Joana Starnes, and Sophie Andrews for connecting the dots of our lives in a way that allowed me to be part of this unforgettable experience. The tears I shed as we said our farewells will hopefully one day be replaced by the joyful anticipation of future visits back to England. I am grateful for sharing my love of Jane Austen with each of you!

As this was my first trip overseas, I was so eager to see as much as possible and for five straight days, we traveled from one location to another, taking in the sights and sounds that brought to life the places in England that helped shape Jane’s life, as well as her stories. Imagining these places as they were during Jane’s life really wasn’t difficult. Walking through Bath, Winchester, Alton, and even London, one can happily transport him/herself back to Jane’s time, taking in the many natural beauties, combined with the architectural features that represent the Georgian period, and even earlier.

We stayed in Winchester, right next to Winchester Cathedral, and we were able to connect with a few of our favorite people here in town. For a Janeite, Winchester is filled with plenty of connections to Austen, and from visits to the cathedral to an Austen exhibit at the Winchester Discovery Centre, Winchester is a place where we spent many happy moments discussing Jane Austen and lots of the JAFF that we have come to love so dearly!

In Bath, there was so much to explore and the connections to Jane were abundant there too. One can easily imagine the people represented through Jane’s characters in Northanger Abbey and Persuasion strolling to the Assembly Rooms to mingle with their friends and acquaintances. Throughout London, it took a little more creativity to imagine what Jane may have seen throughout this city, but with the help of a wonderful taxi driver, a map and a copy of Walking Jane Austen’s London, we saw quite a few of the sites that are connected to Jane’s life.

The place we felt most connected with Jane was the Jane Austen House Museum because here we were able to become fully immersed imagining how Jane lived in this house based on what we’ve read over the years about her life at Chawton. This visit was also made even more memorable because I was able to meet Joana Starnes for the first time ever and walk through the house with her. Last, but not least, my future post on our visit to Chawton will reveal the identity of another special person we were able to meet at Chawton. Let’s just say this was quite an emotional visit for all three of us!

What trip to Jane Austen’s England would be complete without a trip to Pemberley, I mean Lyme Park, as well as attending a Jane Austen Ball? Derbyshire is a significant journey from southern England and one we gladly took in a train and not in a horse-drawn carriage. As we entered the gates and gleaned our first glimpses of the grandeurs of Pemberley, a strange sense of familiarity washed over us. How many times have we strolled through these gardens on the big screen with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, only to find ourselves wishing to run into our own Mr. Darcy wearing a moist linen shirt and a confused look just for us? Well, we didn’t run into him, but we certainly had lots of fun capturing all of the beautiful images that helped Elizabeth Bennet date her own love for Darcy from her “first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley.” I am so grateful that Joana and Mira were both looking forward to this visit even on this very wet and blustery day!

Concluding our visit at a Jane Austen Ball was possibly the best way to end our trip! Not only was it terrific fun to prepare for our first Regency ball, attending as guests of the BBC made it even more memorable because we were able to connect with so many other people who love Jane Austen and the really neat thing was that so many of us connect with her in very different ways. I look forward to sharing more details about this event! You can also check out #MyFriendJane on Twitter for updates about the documentary.

So please look for a new post for the next several weeks, as I share lots of photographs from our trip and expand upon our visits to each place, as well as sharing some insights into Austen’s own connections to these places. I did plenty of shopping along the way (I actually had to buy another bag to carry everything home with me) and each post will offer a different variety of giveaway for my readers. I am really excited about these posts and I can’t wait to share these with all of you!

Week of June 19th / To Winchester We Go!

Week of June 26th / Assembling in Bath

Week of July 3rd / Going Home to Chawton

Week of July 10th / #MyFriendJane

Week of July 17th / Jane Austen’s London

Week of July 24th / To Pemberley, We Go…

(The dates and titles are subject to change)

Please feel free to share in the comments below anything you’re hoping that I include in these posts, so I can make sure to include them for my readers.

I’m really looking forward to your posts Claudine. I saw the photos on Facebook but they are even better with your descriptions.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed your visit despite the awful weather and hope you manage to get back sometime when the sun is shining and you don’t end up with your petticoat 6 inches deep in mud!!! It’s a shame you didn’t see Mr Darcy as his shirt would have been even wetter 😀😍
I really look forward to this programme when it airs.

Claudine, I can only say it could not have happened to a more well deserving person. I can only imagine all the time and energy you put into making your blog the top of my list and I am sure the top for many others. Love the gowns you and Joana are wearing. Did you and/or she make them or if not, where did you buy them? I am so looking forward to reading about your adventures in England and viewing the photos. Did you taste the water in the assembly rooms at Bath? I did and thought it was awful! We also visited the Winchester Cathedral as on of our stops on the red double decker bus tour of London. A sense of awe has to envelope one when you view the burial sites of so many famous people and the throne chair there. Thank you for sharing with us all about your time in England.

Lady Claudine and Lady Joana look amazing!! What an amazing whirlwind trip you had and so glad it was all you were hoping for. Dung has such a beautiful smile that must have stayed on her face the whole time! I love all the photos and look forward to your future posts with further details!

What a magical trip it was, Claudine!! I’m over the moon that it happened years sooner than I dared dream it would, and what better place to meet for the first time than the home of The Lady whose beautiful writings brought us together? It was such a joy to meet you face to face at last, meet Dung who’s definitely the best travelling companion you could have possibly found, and go on our JA&P&P trip. It was great fun to visit Pemberley with you, Mira and Dung and I hope it won’t be so very long till we go there again together. Plus all the other places on a very long list that’s growing every day 😀 So find a slot in your diary & Dung’s and come back soon, before the list becomes as big as the phone book!!! Hugs and can’t wait for your future posts!!

Love that you had such a lovely time! Okay– the three of you got emotional with a surprise special visitor.. I’m hoping it was COLIN FIRTH. But then I don’t think purely emotional would fit the bill for him. I think I’d be dead. 😂😂😂 Fun to speculate!! Looking forward to seeing more of your dream trip! Makes me silly and giddy to think of my own trip in three short months! Cannot wait to see documentary and see all my pretty virtual Jane friends! 🎩🇬🇧👗❤️️

I went to Bath last year for the first time and on the way back to the airport my daughter surprised me with a visit to Winchester Cathedral and I visited her grave. It was a marvelous experience. I’m glad you enjoyed your visit and I’m looking forward to future posts.

Jane Austen certainly takes hold of our imaginations and in so many different ways. I am following your trip with interest as I am originally from the UK in Berkshire, close to where Jane was born. My parents retired to Hampshire over 25 years ago, so I was blessed with trips home that allowed me visits to where she lived and traveled. Actually, I recently found out that the pub right across the road in Chawton from Jane’s house was at one time lived in and run by some of our family members.
I will be heading home shortly for the 200th Celebrations in Winchester, a weekend I am so excited to be part of. I will be seeing all the sites again…but one never gets bored of that pleasure.

I’m really looking forward to your upcoming posts, Claudine, as I was following your trip with FB when you were over here. It all looked wonderful! Sorry the weather was so bad on the day you, Dung, Mira and Joana visited Lyme. It was no better here in Yorkshire that day!

The mention of a mystery visitor at Chawton has me very much intrigued. Is this something that makes it into the TV programme? I’m all anticipation for that event, quite definitely!

Claudine, England has been on my list for ages now…but alas, I have yet to go! I am so happy to see you had a wonderful time. Your post allows me to live vicariously through you, and for that I am grateful! (Beautiful gown, by the way – I bet attending a ball was divine!)

What an amazing unforgettable trip! I can’t believe it has been over two weeks since we’ve been there! Love the post, I’m looking forward to your future post and re-living the experience again! Thank you for including me as your +1 in this amazing adventure! Looking forward to going back again with you and taking more time to explore all the places we went to and the places we haven’t seen…

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